Czech National Bank Buys 10,246 Shares of Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK)

Czech National Bank grew its holdings in Duke Energy Co. (NYSE:DUK - Free Report) by 6.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 167,490 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 10,246 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Duke Energy were worth $18,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of DUK. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 11,471.4% during the 3rd quarter. Pathway Financial Advisers LLC now owns 6,777,973 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $781,500,000 after acquiring an additional 6,719,398 shares during the last quarter. Groupama Asset Managment bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,537,000. Zimmer Partners LP bought a new position in Duke Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $166,263,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 13,829.1% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,125,607 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $129,782,000 after acquiring an additional 1,117,526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp boosted its stake in Duke Energy by 65.7% during the 2nd quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 2,052,969 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $205,769,000 after acquiring an additional 813,744 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.31% of the company's stock.

Duke Energy Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:DUK traded up $0.63 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $106.77. The company had a trading volume of 2,866,169 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,995,096. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.55. The business's 50 day moving average price is $110.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $111.87. The stock has a market cap of $82.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.49. Duke Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $90.09 and a 1-year high of $121.25.

Duke Energy (NYSE:DUK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, November 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $8.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $8.06 billion. Duke Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 9.34%. Duke Energy's revenue was up 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.94 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Duke Energy Co. will post 5.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Duke Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.045 per share. This represents a $4.18 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Duke Energy's payout ratio is currently 76.84%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on shares of Duke Energy from $113.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Mizuho raised shares of Duke Energy from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $116.00 to $121.00 in a research note on Tuesday, October 15th. KeyCorp downgraded shares of Duke Energy from an "overweight" rating to a "sector weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Duke Energy in a report on Thursday, September 19th. They set a "buy" rating and a $138.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Duke Energy from $102.00 to $118.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Duke Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $122.23.

About Duke Energy

Duke Energy Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy company in the United States. It operates through two segments: Electric Utilities and Infrastructure (EU&I), and Gas Utilities and Infrastructure (GU&I). The EU&I segment generates, transmits, distributes, and sells electricity in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest.